As you may have seen in Lizzie’s post yesterday, all of the Manton Bay chicks have now successfully fledged! John was in the hide and was able to capture the moment 2J left the nest for the very first time…

2J leaving the nest for the first time

2J leaving the nest for the first time

2J’s first flight

2J landing for the first time

1J flying over 2J

The pioneering flier from this nest was 1J – exactly a week ago today! Dave Cole was able to record this fantastic footage of 1J when he’d only been on the wing for 24hrs.

You can really see how his confidence has grown over the last few days. The young Ospreys in Manton Bay are bound to have an advantage over other chicks as they often see their Dad catching fish close to the nest. 5R’s fishing skills seem to be rubbing off on the youngsters as 1J has already been trying to catch his first meal. He may need a bit more practice…

1J diving in to the water

1J hitting the water

1J bouncing off the water

2J

2J with 5R on the ‘T’ perch

It’s often difficult to determine the sex of the chicks when they’re ringed and there are now doubts about whether 2J is male or female. At the time of ringing 2J had the weight of a female but didn’t really show any other lady-like characteristics. Now that a few weeks have passed John has noticed that 2J is slightly bigger than 5R and 1J, with a heavier bill and thicker legs, suggesting that she is actually a female.

2J (right) and 5R (left). When they sit next to each other there is a slight size difference – 2J appears to be bigger than her Dad, suggesting female rather than male

2J landing back on the nest for the first time

As well as fledging and diving chicks, John saw 5R catch a Tench, the first he’d ever seen before…

2 responses to “Last…but not least!”

Fantastic pictures and video. Hmmm, I did half-jokingly bet a while ago that it was 2F and 1M, based on two helping Mum doing nest repairs and the third showing no interest. I wonder if that could be a valid indicator of gender, if it really is 2F/1M?

Many thanks for this Blog. I was just asking yesterday morning on the RSPB Loch Garten Daily Update forum if young Ospreys fish instinctively or watch their parents fishing and then they copy them. I asked because I was intrigued several weeks ago to see the (then) very young Loch Garten chicks watching their Mum moving sticks, and then they began to do the same. It must be a big advantage for Rutland’s 1J and 2J to have watched their Dad fishing in the lake below the nest, as you say!